The Yoga of the Yogi by Kausthub Desikachar

Author:Kausthub Desikachar
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781466872356
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Krishnamacharya demonstrating two of the many steps in the daily ritual to honor and thank the sun.

In 1965, Jiddu Krishnamurti, the world-renowned philosopher and spiritual guide, requested an audience with Krishnamacharya after hearing of his skills from a student. Krishnamurti had been practicing yoga for many years, and he was looking for someone to help him with his personal practice. The men met at Vasant Vihar, the headquarters of the Krishnamurti Foundation in Madras.

Desikachar recalls this first meeting. “Krishnamurti had developed a lot of problems through his former yoga practice, which was inappropriate for his age and health status. This is why he sought a new teacher who could help him. One of his students recommended Krishnamacharya, who, he told Krishnamurti, was a great healer and yoga master. So Krishnamurti requested an audience with my father.”

“My father took my brother Sri Bhasyam and me with him to meet Krishnamurti in Vasant Vihar. They had a pleasant interaction, and then Krishnamurti asked if he could see a demonstration of asanas and pranayama. My father guided me and my brother through some postures and breathing practices, which impressed Krishnamurti a lot. He knew he had found the right teacher, and he asked Krishnamacharya for help with his personal practice. My father offered to send me to teach him. He said would act as my guide, helping me to prepare and oversee Krishnamurti’s practice.”

Without hesitation, Krishnamurti accepted Krishnamacharya’s offer, and Desikachar, guided by his father, began teaching him. Krishnamurti’s condition and his practice improved with each passing day, and Desikachar and Krishnamurti became very close friends. On one occasion Krishnamurti told Desikachar, “I am going to offer you a scholarship. Even if it means I have to sell my shirt, I want to make sure you learn everything from your father. His great wisdom must not die with him.” Desikachar and Krishnamacharya were touched, but they gracefully declined the offer. Krishnamacharya reassured Krishnamurti that everything would happen for the best, and that “what happens tomorrow is not always in our hands.”

In May 1968, Desikachar was married to Menaka. He was thirty, and Menaka was a lovely girl of twenty-one. It was a traditional, arranged marriage. Krishnamacharya and Namagiriamma had chosen Menaka as a wife for their son. Desikachar was the first of the couple’s sons to marry, and so it was also a special occasion; the first time a bride had entered the household.

My father recalled, “When I saw Menaka for the first time, she had come to our house with some of her relatives. My father and mother were talking to them, and soon they called me. When I came, this lovely woman was asked to prostrate to me. I assumed that my father was arranging for me to see a new student as he had done many times previously. However, after they left, he called me again and said ‘you are going to marry this woman.’ I was a bit taken aback that they were discussing my marriage, but I gracefully accepted.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.